Finishing end for railroad-rails



' exact description of the invention, such as where the greatest wear is encountered.

`pose of increasing the durability of switch- UNITED STATESV `PATENT OFFICE.

NATHANIEL C. FOSTER, OF FAlRC-HILD, VVISOONSIN.

FlNlsHiNe END FoR RAILROAD-mma SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 431,654, dated July 8, 1890.

Application filed April 24, 1890.

T0 all whom, it may concern:

Be it known that I, NATHANIEL C. FOSTER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fairchild, in the county of Eau Claire and State of Visconsin, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Protection and Finishing Ends for Railroad-Rails; and I do hereby declare the following tov be a full, clear, and

will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention consists in an improved iinishing or stub end of hard iron or steel, or other suitable metal, for switch-rails, frogs, and other rails, the said stub end being solid, and, except in its not having a web reduction between its cap and flange-base portions, is a counterpart in transverse section of the rail to which it is applied, and it having two bolting extensions which are adapted for occupying positions between the base-Hanges and the cap of the rail and are perforated at points coinciding with bolt-holes in the web of the rail for the reception of conning-bolts, as will be hereinafter described. A

My said invention, while being applicable to switch-rails or frogs or other rails when the-same are rst constructed, its utility will be more specially developed when it is employed as a means of repairing the bruised orbattered ends of switch-rails and frogs, or the ends of rails Which abut against one another along railroad-tracks. When applied to new switch-rails or frogs or other rail ends, it will, by reason of its being made of hard iron, steel, or other suitable hard metal, and solid, and of a transverse thickness about equal to the web, cap, and iish bars of ordinary rails, render such rails capable of very great endurance, as the Wheels of the cars passing over the joint will not so easily7 break down or bruise or batter the ends of the rails as when such ends are made of ordinary rail metal and with a reduced webor of metal which is not specially hardened for the purrails at their joint ends, or for increasing the durability of frogs or other rails at the points In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a perspective view of my improved hard iron= steel, or other suitable durable metal protec- Serial No. 349.397. (No model.)

tion end for switch-rails, frogs, and other rails of railroad-tracks. Fig. 2 is a perspective View of a port-ion of a switch-rail with my irnproved protection end applied thereto. Fig. 3 is a plan View illustrating a switch with my invention applied thereto, and Fig. 4 represents a frog with the invention applied thereto.

A indicates the solid hard iron, steel, or other suitable metal protection stub-end portion for a rail, it having a body equal in thickness, or nearly so, to the united web and fish bars of ordinary rails, and two rearwardlyextending Viish-plate-like branches a, a, all formed of homogeneous metal. The end-iinishing portion A has a shoulder ct deep enough to receive the cap b of the rail B, so that the top surface and the side edges of said cap are flush with the top and side surfaces of the hard iron or steel finishing protection end A. A shoulder A2 is also formed on the said finishing portion A deep enough to permit the base-flanges b of the rail B to come in contact with the under bevel surfaces a? of the extensions orbranches a a, and have said iianges exterior of said portions aai-erm continuous lines with the base-flange portions ofthe iinishing or protection end portion A. As shown in the drawings, the end-finishing piece A abuts closely against the cap b of the rail, also against the baseflanges t and the web b2 thereof, and thus a very rm and substantial structure is produced. The extensions a ct of the finishing end pieceA form a support to the cap b of the rail, and they are perforated at c, coincidin g with the perforations in the web of the rail, and through said perforations headed bolts O are passed and secured by nuts on their screw-threaded ends. By my invention the manufacturer is enabled, by finishing the ends of the rails with hard iron, steel, or other suitable metal protection ends A, to use a lower-grade metal in the construction of the rails B, While at the same time such rails will be very enduring at the points where the greatest work has to be done or resistance borne, because their ends are terminated with solid hard iron or steelblocks without Webs; or if the rails are made of steel of high grade, such rails can be readily repaired after they have become battered or reduced to a danger- IOO road-track, constructed with a detachable fin-4 ishing protection end of hard metal, as hard iron or steel, substantially as described.

1o 2. The solid finishing protection end A of hard metal, as iron or steel, formed With rearwardly-extending bolting portions a ct, substantially as and for the purpose described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

NATHANIEL C. FOSTER.

Witnesses:

C. M. WILSON, G. A. FOSTER. 

